Tag Archives: knee problems

On the ark, I think. It has been so wet. Too wet to weed, too wet to plant seeds, too wet to make the flower beds and get the herbs and perennials planted. And the wet isn’t over. Rain today, heavy rain Thursday and Friday with more creek, stream, and river flood warnings.

Tomorrow is moderate, we just missed an end of season frost night before last. Some of our region got frost and I feared for the tender tomato, pepper, and basil plants, but they did fine. For some reason, peas just aren’t happening this year. There have been two plantings, two different brands of the same organic heritage pea and there are only about a dozen pea plants. There is no evidence that anything is digging them up, nor eating them off, but no peas. This is a first. It is time to get the beans and three sisters garden planted. Maybe it will not rain and be dry enough tomorrow to get the vegetable seed planted and perhaps at least one of the flower beds.

Of late, the idea to use some of the chicken run fencing to create a second row of fencing 4 feet out from the garden to thwart the deer and make a square run that the chickens can use and keep the weeds from encroaching on the garden has been debated. The issue is the second gate to actually get in the garden from the run. There is a sturdy wood post that holds the solar charger that perhaps could hold that one, but to enter the garden would require entering the run and walking around to the other side of the run to get in the garden. That is doable except for taking the garden cart in with me, Perhaps the second fence could stop on each side of the gate not making a complete loop around the vegetable garden. By the time I finally get all the beds, runs, and gardens the way I want, I will be too feeble to work them.

This would be the idea with the chickens between the fences, the coop at one corner and flower beds outside the second fence.

Three of the early blueberry bushes are heavy with berries.

The two garden comfrey plants love the cool wet weather.

The chicklets are 9 weeks old and are in need of more space. It would be a hassle, but if the rain will stop long enough for the main coop to be thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, and dry out, new straw will be placed inside and the young ones will be transferred at night from Huck’s coop where they now reside to the main coop and the culls will be moved to Huck’s coop as there are only 8 of them. They are amusing as they fly and flap around their small run beginning to establish pecking order by charging up to each other, bumping chests, and staring each other down. It looks like all 16 are indeed pullets, so there should be plenty of eggs come fall and enough for winter even when their laying slows. There won’t be a break for molting this year as they will not be a year old. They all come running to the fence when I go over to their run and many will let me touch their chest or back as they leave the coop in the mornings.

The knee exercises were started in preparation for the hike and one of them has causedIliotibial band syndrome, pain on the outer side of the knee joint, especially when going down stairs. Most of the exercises have been stopped, a compression sleeve usually used when skiing is being worn on my knee, joint support tincture and tea along with Turmeric, Ginger, and Fish Oil taken to try to calm it back down. I still have 5 weeks til the hike and hopefully will be okay by then.

Like most folks, we rely on cell phones instead of a land line these days. Jim’s phone is 5 years old and it quit this weekend. Mine is two and has a cracked screen. Yesterday we drove to the nearest city to purchase a new battery for his. The battery was 4 times the price of the one that had been ordered online for mine and it didn’t solve the problem. His charging jack is corroded and the phone won’t take a charge. Eldest had told us about Project Fi, Google’s WiFi cell service that allows them service in the deep hollow in which they live. When visiting, my communication with the world is via Messenger, email, or their landline. Instead of committing to our carrier for a new phone for Jim, we too are going the Project Fi route. Our service should be broader, we both will have new phones, and our bill will be slashed by a third even with paying for the phones on installment. Win/Win. If their site is correct, they also work overseas in many countries without changing SIM card and without paying international rate.

Thursday, a normal spinning group day, will find me instead in costume at Smithfield House doing spinning demos for school groups scheduled for visits. It is a good thing that the old Saxony is single treadle with the right foot, I don’t think my left knee would be happy. Since it is going to be raining, only the one wheel will accompany me, leaving the much larger Walking wheel at home.

Life is good, I just want back in my garden before the weeds take over.